Having a Felony Conviction on Your Record: What You Need to Know

If you have a felony conviction on your record, your life is going to change. No matter the circumstances of the felony, what punishment you received because of the conviction, or how you have changed your ways, this felony conviction is going to follow you around for the rest of your life.

Some people don’t truly understand what type of effect a felony conviction will have, and the following information will help you learn what you can expect to experience because of the conviction.

It will impact your ability to find a job.

Look at every job application you have ever filled out. Somewhere on the application is a section dedicated to asking you about your past criminal history. When you have a felony conviction on your record, you need to state that you do on the application. If you don’t and the company runs a background check, your felony is going to appear, so you may as well be honest upfront. Sometimes a company will turn you down right away based on your past criminal history. Some companies hire felons, though, so it’s possible that you can still find a job even with the conviction.

It will impact your ability to travel.

Your felony conviction can have a negative impact on your ability to travel, especially if you want to travel abroad. If you need a passport, you may have trouble obtaining one if you have a criminal history, especially depending on the type of conviction and how recent the conviction occurred.

You may also have trouble traveling out of your state if you are currently on parole because of your recent felony conviction. Most parole officers require their parolees to stay within a certain number of miles from their home or job, which could make traveling impossible for you.

It will impact where you live.

When you have a felony conviction on your record, it can also impact where you live. If you are renting, most rental applications will ask if you have any convictions as well as perform background checks. Some landlords or rental management companies may have a policy about renting to known felons, even if the felony occurred a long time ago. You may have to move in with relatives or friends in order to live in an area you want to live in, which can be a nuisance.

You can try to get it expunged.

Instead of allowing your felony conviction to cause trouble for you throughout the rest of your life, you can always try to get the felony conviction expunged. This is something that your lawyer will need to do for you. When you have a conviction expunged, it means that the felony conviction is removed from your public records, so it shouldn’t have an impact on employment or housing if a background check is run. However, it will still appear on court- or government-related documents, which means that police officers, court officials, and anyone else can see the prior conviction. You should also note that getting the conviction removed from your records is not something that is easy to do, so don’t assume that just because expunging is an option that it is something you’ll receive.